Wheetsin

I have not tried Shapewear. I have tried (and love) Spanx, but I don't like the "hose" Spanx with leg parts, I like the "Higher Power" hi-waist panties (that I wear OVER real panties). If I put on slacks that are snug (snug enough I wouldn't normally wear them) with Spanx, they will fit well, so I guess it makes about a half-size difference. One of my favorite things these garments do is keep the back of your pants smooth. You get a perfectly smooth butt area - no worries about whether or not it looks like your butt is eating your pants. As a tall, high-waisted woman in a fashion season that favors the low rise, THAT is a definite perk!

Sorry looks like I was a little slow.

When you scroll to the bottom of a thread, you have the quick reply option. Click "Go Advanced", and another reply option will show up with the smilies:

Common smilies will also pull from their ASCII equivalents... e.g. and You can also enter the title of the smilie between two colons like this: :pound: ...to produce this: :pound:

If I suddenly lost my restriction, and could not account for it in some way (e.g. was tight because of some swelling from a recent fill, but am now wide open), I would call my surgeon ASAP. Instantaneous loss of restriction is not SOP for the band, so you'll want his/her input.

Short for fluoroscopy, a method used to see what's going on in the body. Like my extremely non-technical explanation? :eek: Think of it like xrays, only real time -- like filming someone with an xray camera so that you can see through their skin into their insides. Filling under a fluroscope - I've never had it done, but I would assume they use barium (some tissues won't show well on the fluoroscope so barium is used as a visual aid to show what's going on -- e.g. the esophagus isn't terribly clear, but you can see the barium that's sitting inside of it) and either fill to the point that the barium can't get by, then release until it trickles through OR fill gradually as the barium flows until restriction is acheived. They would also be able to see the hardware on the fluoroscope image (...think of an xray of a hand, and how it can be really hard to see what's going on with it, but if there are pins or other devices that show opaque, you have no trouble making them out.) Here's a description of a fill done with fluoroscopy.

I agree so much with what has been posted. I can't find the thread now, but a similar topic came up once upon a time. May have been archived by now. But in it, I asked self-pays (and others, but it was directed at self-pays - specifically ones who had a really hard time getting the money raised) how they felt that they couldn't afford the band, while Medicaid recipients had been banded on others' dime. The responses were very mixed, IIRC. Saying that it's not fair to make a Medicaid recipient choose between the band or optional surgery (I will use the word optional as a qualifier because no one who had the band would have died in 3 hours if they didn't, so we aren't talking about something that has to be done right now or you will die) -- why should people on Medicaid not have to make that decision, when working/contributing people have to make it every single day? I can guarantee you some of the self-pays had to make the decision between groceries or the band at some point, and they still did it because the band meant that much to them. People have sold their cars and walked everywhere instead. People have given up medications they needed so they could apply what they would have paid for their prescriptions toward the band. This is the akward position of the population Wasa brought up. Yeah, they work, they contribute, but they're barely making it -- IF that. And they have to make choices like that all the time.

I'm very, very much of a "no crap from no one" kind of person. The idealistic me says - report it, it's inappropriate, don't be objectified. But in this instance I can relate. I went through something similar my first year in undergrad, with 6 days left in the semester. I thought about doing smtg and decided to just ride it out. I had heard horror stories of people having to go through investigations, suspensions, sit out semesters, etc. -- and for 6 days --I just didn't want to deal with it.

I dunno, dare I ask where your fingers have been?

My comprehensive will be either summer or fall term 08, depending on how quickly I can get my last elective taken care of. I'm NOT looking forward to it. The one nice thing - I already know the questions that are on it. Ours aren't done by professor, they're comprehensive across the entire program, and they give you the questions after your 30th credit hour, when you officially have to have declared your emphasis (if you're carrying one). Do you know your questions ahead of time, or just the topics?

No worries at all - and I certainly did misread (still do!). Such is the nature of the online communication beast.

That's really disgusting. Again - we can hope that people are just mis-voting, but sadly, I doubt that's the case.

No, I only lost when my shoes were off. I used to be a reliable 12w. I just bought some Born (which run narrow to me) 11s Saturday.

Ah, as I read it, she thought kagoscuba's post was anti-semitic -- which would have made for interesting reading.

Anti-semitic. Anti-semantic would be "against the meaning of symbols." What about kagoscuba's post reads as anti-semitic to you?

I think I hit 100lbs somewhere between months 6 & 8. And of course is has been a slow creep ever since then. I'm now down about 160. I still consume within good calorie guidelines ( a little under if anything ), and can go months with no loss. But no gain, either. Which makes me happy. Your ability to lose large amounts of weight quickly will have a LOT to do with how much weight you need to lose, and as a percentage function, not a numbers function. In my first 10 days I lost smtg like 32 lbs, and by my first fill (5 weeks) was over 60lbs. But I had 200 lbs to lose. I would not have seen the same numbers if I only had 100 lbs to lose, though I might have seen the same percentage.

Can someone tell me about the port? Is it "hidden" under the skin? I hate to sound stupid but I am really new to all of this. The port is stitched to your muscle, so it's under your skin, fat, etc. Location of the port varies - usually it's a matter of surgeon's preference as well as patient composition or request. How long were you out of work after surgery? I work in the Premium Tax dept of an auto insurance company so for the most part I sit at a desk and work on a computer, I'm just wondering how long I will need to be off of work. I have a desk job. My surgery was on a Wed. I returned to work the next Monday, so I was out 3 work days or 5 days total. I worked from home for the first few days because a set of my staples ran right where all my clothes hit and rubbed -- very sore. My first day back was the day after my staples were removed, and it was still sore so I told them to deal with my wearing track suits for another week. Do you keep lap band forever or is it removed after a certain amount of time? The bands are intended to be permanent implants. They can be removed if needed.

Yeah, I don't know your husband, but I don't think it would destroy him. He would still be happy for you, and he knows that he hasn't been sticking to his guns due to the emotional uprisings. We know when we're eating well and when we aren't. If you having more loss than him effects him, then you know it's competition/ego, which isn't a healthy way for him to see it (no new news here). So just find other ways to stroke his ego. If it's going to be a huge huge issue, maybe just don't tell him? I'm to that point now. There are people who every time I see them, ask how much more I've lost. Umm, I just saw you Saturday? So I just say "I'm not sure, I haven't weighed recently." Would you have a similar way to just not tell him?

Do you pay the 10% based on the billed amount, or the negotiated rate your carrier has? THAT will determine whether you pay a lot or a little. E.g. the billed amount for my surgery was around $40,000. The network negotiated rate was something like $1500. If you're responsible for 10%, that's a matter of paying $4k or $150. Yeah, if you'd known sooner you could have taken advantage of a cafeteria program. That too might have made a big difference, but you would have had to have an idea what your total OOP would be.

Words can bother anyone. Until the day we die words will be able to cut us deeper than any knife. But I see this is a moot point. Congratulations on your sudden and amazing tranformation, and best of luck in your future endeavors.

I had some fresh kettle corn this weekend. Mmmmmmmmmmmm. First time since banding I've had any popcorn. It just doesn't do that much for me generally speaking (but fresh kettle corn makes me a happy girl). I rarely eat popcorn. My teeth are close together and I hate getting anything stuck between them. Hence I cut corn off the cob, pull meat off the bone, etc. Plus unless it's kettle corn, popcorn just doesn't appeal to me that much. I don't like greasy foods. Never thought to ask my band doc about it, and don't remember it being on the no-no list.

The word fat doesnt bother me anymore. Im being serious too. I dont really let words bother me anymore, any of them. Whether or not it still bothers you is irrelevant. At one point it did - a lot, from the sound of it. So you're able to understand the power that a word can have, and you're able to understand the emotions that can be triggered by one single word. Because you personally claim to not be hurt by a word that once hurt you a lot doesn't mean the same holds true for everyone. You wanted people to stop using the word fat, so you're able to at least understand the concept of people not wanting to be called n-----. You wanted that respect, so pay it forward. The only recent post you guys have pulled for evidence is from the stereotype entry. In that entry I explained that I wasnt racist, but because of my past had issues that I had tried to work out with a therapist, but still have problems with. Huh? What the heck are you taking about??? I made one response to that thread, addressing something Laurend said, that had NOTHING to do with you. I don't know why "you guys" is supposed to refer to, but maybe you're confused about who's who? If you want to call me a racist thats fine. Umm, again... what the heck are you talking about? No one called you a racist. FFS - why would I want to call anyone a racist?

There are extremes you can go to with Protein, but you're no where close to being there. My surgeon advised to 60gm per day - sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't. If you're going to try and keep a protein minimum, then space it out 3 @ 20, 4 @ 15, not 1 @ 60. Bodies are good at adjusting for different protein intakes, but until you're adjusted there's only so much you can really metabolize and use as protein at once. The more protein you eat, the less efficient the body is at using it up. Unless your body has been "trained" to accomodate extreme (in either direction) amounts, 30g - 40g at a time is considered what the average body can use and an amount believed to be the range for healthy digestive function. You can eat more, digest, absorb, etc. -- you just can't really USE it, there's only so much your body can do with it. And we all know what too much of anything we don't need does to us. You might hear "you can only digest..." -- probably colloquially. There's a lot of science behind a statement like that so things can sometimes get oversummarized (*guilty*).

The pre-op diet isn't just for weightloss, it's also to deplete sugars from the liver, which will decrease its size. Having the liver smaller in size will make it easier for the surgeon to work in the area of the band. If the surgeon gets in there and does not have the room needed, or the liver does not move as he wants, etc. - you could end up with no surgery or an open procedure. You don't want an open procedure if you can have it laparoscopically. Do try to stick to the diet. I don't want to be too tough-loving, but this really is a change for the rest of banded life. Compliance is a MUST or you can damage yourself permanently, and can definitely actively avoid weightloss. If you can't do the pre-op, how will you do the rest of your banded life?

I really don't feel my fills. Here's how mine go: I lay on my back. The surgeon (AP now, surgeon quit doing the fills) feels/pushes around to find the port and once he has found it he makes a little markw ith a marker, goes and gets the needle, and plunges in. I feel the tiniest little prick (seriously less than getting blood drawn), and that's it really. You don't feel anything around the actual fill since it's all happening inside the band. Then sometimes when they pull the needle out - seems like they have to really pull, so you might feel this weird *pop* kind of feeling when the needle exits the port. I don't always feel this, and it doesn't hurt by any means - it's just weird. Then they wipe off any blood, clean you up and slap on a band-aid. Give you a little cup of Water to drink to ensure you aren't too tight, and off we go. Takes about 2 mins total. My surgeon used to numb you with a local before fills. This *hurt* me. It made my first fill uncomfortable enough that I didn't want to go back for a 2nd. So when I did go back, I requested he skip the local. They've been a piece of cake ever since.